


Isn't It Lovely

by sunnyskipper



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyskipper/pseuds/sunnyskipper
Summary: It's been... months since Tubbo ordered Tommy's exile from L'manberg, since they held his funeral. People have moved on the best they could, saying farewell to a free spirited soul and bright young boy who was dealt the wrong hand, Tubbo is still recovering; he hasn't been the same since. He spends most of his time inside the White House, tucked away out of sight and constantly blaming himself for what happened, how they lost Tommy for the last time.Ranboo's been trying to help the best he can, he himself is struggling to come to terms that he could have done something. He visited Tommy in exile, but clearly not enough, he saw his condition deteriorating but... he was too late. But, when he finds an all too familiar boy residing in the wild near Logsted, perhaps it's still not too late.
Kudos: 23





	Isn't It Lovely

He's been counting the days since it happened. It's been 55 days since the exact moment Dream escorted Tommy out of L'manberg, almost two months ago, and precisely twelve days later is when they... when Tubbo, made the grim discovery. It's haunted him ever since. He'd finally gained the courage to visit Tommy for the first time, or, second, but this time actually speak to him again, but he found Logsted blown up, and a large stone pillar that Tommy... that he...

No one likes to get into it. Everyone knows what happened by now, they held a funeral for him and... well, it hadn't been the brightest of days; quite literally, a large storm brewed above their heads as the funeral went on. Even when it started raining and flashes of lightning could be seen, whilst everybody chose to duck for cover, Tubbo remained perched in front of the tombstone. Although rain burned Ranboo's skin like acid, he stayed for as long as he could by his side before bringing him inside. 

Ever since that day, or really, he hadn't been the same after he exiled Tommy, even though he first thought it'd been the best decision. Ranboo knew he'd blame himself, so he visited him at the White House, the last place he expected him to be. He found him huddled up in the corner, not saying a word, and Ranboo sat down beside him. They sat in silence for a minute or two, until Tubbo started sobbing and let everything out. "It's my fault!" He told Ranboo, "if I never exiled Tommy, if I'd just, been a better friend then he'd still be alive!"

Ranboo consoled him the best he could, though careful not to let any of his tears touch his skin. He isn't sure how long he spent by Tubbo's side, until the boy fell asleep leaning against his arm, and Ranboo was given time to do his own reflecting. Thinking back to his last interaction with Tommy, how... broken, he seemed, and he tried to help him, he really did. 

He really did.

He's been doing his best to help Tubbo get back on his feet, L'manberg needed a President after all, but without Tommy... he felt like half of a whole. They were connected at the hip, they were practically brothers, the closest of friends and from an outsider's perspective, nothing could break their strong bond. Yet, death tore them apart without mercy. 

L'manberg has been relatively calm since, Quackity stepped up to act as the President, but he couldn't do so forever. Tubbo needed to take his place as leader, but he told Ranboo he no longer wanted it. Tommy had given it to him, and since he's the one who sent Tommy away and lost him, he insists he doesn't deserve to be President anymore. He can't make the right decisions. 

During the first two weeks of his... death, there was some speculation of Tommy returning as a ghost, like Ghostbur. They waited anxiously, but as time passed, they lost hope. Two months later, there's still no sign of his return, and even though it meant accepting he's dead, at least Tubbo would have him by his side again. He isn't strong enough to take on the world by his own, and though people have offered their help and guidance... it's not the same. No matter how much they try to fill his spot, they're not Tommy. 

One desperate attempt after another, Ranboo tried to help Tubbo out of the pit he'd fallen into. Outstretch his hand for him to take, and say 'come on, I'm here,' and at last, it might have worked. Tubbo said that tomorrow, he might decide to come out and see everybody again. They were all worried for him, with how often Tubbo cooped himself up inside and away from basically everyone except Ranboo, only because he goes to him first. And he's been doing it since it all fell apart.

So now, although they didn't want to overwhelm him, they needed to give Tubbo a warm welcome back into the community. It would be a healing experience for everyone, though they all had a better time getting over Tommy, because they had each other. Whereas for Tubbo, he... he only had Tommy, and now, Ranboo. He pushed everyone else away, ignoring their offers for help, he didn't want it. Unless they could bring Tommy back, his Tommy, he didn't want anything else.

But now, maybe things are finally healing. 

Everyone came to L'manberg and were preparing to finally see Tubbo again tomorrow, the day seemed so far away and yet at the same time they needed more time. They couldn't mess this up, this could be their last chance and they need to get this perfect, let Tubbo know that he isn't truly alone. He still have his friends, the people of L'manberg, and they each care for him. Maybe not as much as Tommy did, but... they're still there for him. 

Ranboo just had one thing he needed to do. He excused himself from the preparations, only vaguely explaining his abrupt leave and went to the nether portal. It felt surreal being back there, he had barely left Tubbo's side during the past two months, he hasn't done too much in his spare time. He took in a deep breath, and stepped out of the nether portal. 

"What are you doing?" A voice asked, and he jumped back. He looked around for the voice, and his eyes landed on a familiar transparent figure floating above the ground, Ghostbur. It'd been a while since he talked to him, or anyone for that matter, really. The last place he expected to find him was... here.

"O-oh, Ghostbur! I, uh..." he trailed off, averting his gaze he wore a sheepish smile. 

Ghostbur stared blankly, his expression unreadable with his white, hollow eyes. "You're... going back there, aren't you," he said quietly, and Ranboo froze. 

His eyes fixated on the ground, a hand on the nape of his neck Ranboo heaved a sigh. "Y-yeah, I..." he lifted his head, meeting the ghost's gaze, and paused. "I... I am," he admitted, his hand falling to his side, silence followed his words. No one has been there since the funeral, some people even suggested breaking the portal. But in a way, that would abandoning the memory of him, it hurt, and no one wanted to face the harsh truth. 

Ghostbur turned away, not saying a word, and silently floated down the path. After some hesitation, Ranboo followed behind him. He peered over the ledge at the lava below him, oozing and bubbling, a bright yellowy orange. It almost looked beautiful, but that's a weird thing to think, considering it'd easily melt you to the bone without proper protection. 

The whole way there, neither of them said a word. What was there to even say? Not much. They reached the path to their destination, and Ranboo stopped and stared at the sign before him; _"you are now entering Logstedshire."_

"Are you coming?" Ghostbur asked. Ranboo glanced between him and the sign, and stepped over it with a heavy sigh. Ghostbur entered the portal first, and he hesitated for a second, looking behind him, before reluctantly doing the same. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he'd arrived. 

He trailed behind Ghostbur and it didn't take long for them to come across the large crater. The pillar is still there, untouched along with everything else. Ranboo crouched down in front of the rest in peace sign, running his hand along the words. It's been fourty-three days already... It's strange to think about. The moment he left, everything came crashing down. Sure, a majority of residents disliked Tommy, found him annoying and perhaps believed he was responsible for what he'd done and received punishment, but no one could have thought it'd go this far. They realized far too late how much of a role he played in their community, he brought attachment, he'd been there since the very beginning. It's a shame he couldn't stick around until the end.

"It's... weird to think about, that he's... gone, I-I forget myself sometimes," Ghostbur spoke up, "I still think he's here. I come back here sometimes and, I see the crater and I..." he trailed off, his voice hoarse, and broken. His eyes fixated on the sign, he shifted his attention to the deep crater before them, and Ranboo could see the pain on his face. 

He remembers asking Ghostbur if he could tell whether Tommy's coming back or not, and even after everyone concluded that he wouldn't, Ghostbur continued to believe. He had hope that Tommy would come back, there's no reason he wouldn't when he has so much unfinished business. "He wouldn't leave Tubbo," he said, only to be proven wrong as time went on. 

"How's Tubbo?" Ghostbur asked, snapping Ranboo out of his thoughts, he stood up. Still staring at the sign, he got distracted by his thoughts again, shaking his head to clear his mind. He rubbed the back of his neck and opened his mouth to speak, but the words refused to come out, his mind an entangled mess. 

"H-he's doing... better," he forced the words out, "he... says he'll be coming outside tomorrow, and meeting everyone. So we're trying to make it as welcoming and homely as possible, to... let him know we care." 

Ghostbur softly hummed, and it went silent again. It left Ranboo alone with his thoughts, and he hated it, he hated this. No wonder nobody comes here to visit anymore, it's too much even when you're with somebody else. The memories pouring into his mind, he might not ever get over this. He didn't even know Tommy that well, he'd just been thrown into the mix by his side, and yet even so he'd left such a long lasting affect on him. As if he knew him personally, an old friend, and he was a friend, a good one. That just... lost his way, and suffered the consequences he didn't fully deserve. 

He should have stepped in. If he admitted he was also apart of the scheme of things, and helped Tommy burn down George's house although it'd been a complete accident, would that have changed things? There's a chnace he'd be let off easy because he's new, and... Dream didn't have a personal grudge against him. On the other hand, if he did end up leaving L'manberg and following Tommy and Ghostbur to Logsted, then Tommy wouldn't have been alone. He wouldn't have suffered so much, not having anyone to depend on.

He glanced at Ghostbur from the corner of his eye; he'd been by Tommy's side a lot more than anyone else. He'd explained how Dream led him away somewhere when he was handing out the invitations for Tommy's party, which no one ever received, and by the time he showed up again, leading the butcher army to Technoblade's house... well, it'd already been too late. A few people had blamed him when the news first came out, but it wasn't his fault. It was both nobody's, and everyone's fault at the same time, for not caring enough for Tommy, to putting all the blame on one, fragile child. 

They should have known better. 

Ranboo took in his surroundings one last time. "I... I'm going to head back," he said, looking to Ghostbur who hadn't moved an inch, floating by the edge of the crater. "We need to get ready for Tubbo. Are you...?" 

There was a short pause before Ghostbur responded. "Whose fault do you think this is, Ranboo?" He asked, and the question caught Ranboo off guard a little. Ghostbur slowly turned around to face him, awaiting an answer. 

Ranboo thought it over once, twice, Ghostbur's eyes burning straight through him. His head spun, and he found himself for some reason, unable to speak. "I-I..." he thought back to the reaction everyone shared; shocked, horrified, traumatized, it affected everyone in some way. They'd laughed at him, mocked and teased about their betrayal, made jokes about how he had no one but himself. They found his pain funny. 

His heart beat slowed, and he balled his hands into loose fists. "It's... no one's fault, we can't go blaming each other, but... it could have been avoided. If we just... did something, to help him, we could have..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. His head lowered, he stared at the ground and suddenly, his face started burning. Like acid on his skin. He was crying. 

He quickly wiped them away and withheld the tears, his chest tightening. If it's nobody's fault, then why does he still blame himself? 

"I'm, I'm fine," he assured, blinking his tears away. He shook his head, and brushed his hair out of his face. "Yeah, I think I'm going to leave now," he said, and mustered a smile. Ghostbur opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Ranboo sharply turned his head in the direction of a sound, cutting him off, and spotted a figure in the distance by the trees. Then, it dashed out of sight.

A person, it'd been a person, but then why would they run and hide? He couldn't tell who they were. "Um, stay here, Ghostbur," he told him, and didn't give him any time to reply before he headed in the direction he saw the strange figure. Maybe it'd just been an enderman, or a zombie, but his mind quickly disproved that by the way the figure had walked. It was definitely a person, but he didn't understand why they'd hide. It had to be someone he recognizes, because he knows everybody here. 

Yet, he has a strange... feeling, about this, that he can't shake of.

He sped up the pace a little, and delved into the forest. "Hello?" He called out, searching for the person. They were in hiding, tucked away somewhere out of sight, and that probably isn't a good thing. He heard a crunch of a tree branch between him, and as he spun around, a strong force tackled him to the ground, and a foot stepped down on his chest. 

"Ugh..." he groaned and fluttered his eyes open, and a sharp blade pressed against his neck. He flinched and held his breath, but then, he recognized the person atop of him. Of course he did, yet out of all people, they're the last person he assumed to find... here, or anywhere ever again. Their drastic change in appearance fooled him at first, but he could never forget that face forever ingrained in his mind.

"T-Tommy...?"


End file.
